(MENAFN) Turkish authorities are sounding the alarm over a series of maritime drone assaults that threaten to choke off critical Black Sea shipping lanes, with Hakan Fidan, Türkiye's top diplomat, cautioning that commercial navigation could grind to a halt.

Three cargo vessels have been targeted by explosive-laden unmanned surface craft within Turkish waters over the last seven days, according to data from the country's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.

The attacks risk transforming the Black Sea "into an area closed to trade and inaccessible to human transport due to the danger it poses," Fidan told reporters on Wednesday, characterizing the developments as "very frightening."

The diplomatic chief further cautioned that the battleground in the Ukraine conflict is "increasingly spreading," noting that "the methods being used are becoming widespread."

Among the targeted ships were two Gambian-flagged petroleum carriers—the Kairos and the Virat—struck off Turkish shores last week as they sailed toward Novorossiysk, a Russian harbor. Multiple Western news organizations, referencing a Ukrainian government source, indicated the operation was executed jointly by Kiev's naval forces and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Both petroleum carriers had previously faced Western sanctions for allegedly violating oil transport restrictions connected to the Ukraine conflict. Russian authorities have rejected claims of maintaining a "shadow fleet."

In a separate incident earlier this week, Ankara's Transport Ministry reported that the MIDVOLGA-2, a Russian-flagged vessel hauling sunflower oil, came under attack approximately 80 miles (120km) offshore while heading to Georgia. Ukrainian officials have disputed responsibility for this assault.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Monday that strikes against merchant vessels within the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone cross a red line, cautioning against "a worrying escalation."

Russia's Foreign Ministry has branded the incidents as "terrorist attacks," while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of violating Turkish sovereignty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning earlier this week that Moscow would cut off Ukraine's maritime access to stop Kiev from engaging in "piracy" throughout the region.

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